Iíve been waiting awhile for this one. Taurus
introduced the .45 OSS at the 2006
SHOT Show. One year later at the 2007
SHOT Show, it still wasnít in production, but after a
few more months of waiting, it is finally here. The US military
showing interest in a .45 caliber service pistol has brought out
many new modern .45 ACP full-sized pistols from several gun
makers, and all are pretty good designs. The OSS falls into this
category of full-sized service handguns, and is of the type that
would be just right for a police holster gun or as a fighting
pistol for defensive purposes. The OSS is a large pistol, but
has a very comfortable grip, and the weight is relatively light
for a service pistol, weighing in at slightly over 31 ounces
empty. The barrel measures five and one-quarter inches long, and
the overall length is eight and one-quarter inches. The magazine
holds twelve .45 ACP cartridges, for a loaded capacity of
thirteen, and the pistol ships with two magazines. The magazines
are made of steel, and drop free when released, and the magazine
release is right behind the trigger guard on the left side, just
where it belongs. If desired, the magazine release is reversible
for left-handed use. The trigger guard is large enough for a
gloved finger, and is hooked on the front for added support from
the weak hand.

One thing that sets the OSS apart from its
competition is the mode of the action. Unlike most striker-fired
modern auto pistols, the OSS has double-strike capability. The
slide does not pre-cock the striker, and the trigger can keep
cycling the striker, in the case of a dud primer. Personally, if
the weapon does not fire when the trigger is pulled, I prefer to
rack the slide and get the offending cartridge out of there, but
some folks do like the double-strike capability. Also, the OSS
has a first shot double action, and subsequent shots single
action trigger system, and the safety allows the pistol be
carried cocked-and-locked if desired. The safety blocks the
trigger from movement, and can be activated whether the striker
is cocked or not. This makes for a very versatile pistol. The
pistol can also be safely carried with the safety off, if
desired. The safety also locks the slide, which can be a good
feature if sliding the pistol into a tight holster. Also,
thankfully, the safety is of ambidextrous design, which is a
real plus for left-handed shooters like me. The safety can also
be pushed up to safely de-cock the striker. There is a red
indicator at the back of the slide to let the operator know
whether the pistol is cocked or not. Just above the extractor is
a loaded chamber indicator.

The OSS uses a single spring captured recoil
system with a full length guide rod. The pistol strips easily
for maintenance. The grip is well-textured for a positive hold,
and there are subtle finger grooves on the front strap of the
grip. The magazine base pads offer support for the little finger
of large hands, and the grip size and trigger reach make the
pistol fit smaller hands very well. The slide has serrations
fore and aft on both sides to help in cycling the action
manually. Thankfully, there is no magazine safety, but the OSS
does have the Taurus Security System key lock, that can
be utilized or not, as the owner desires. The sights are highly
visible, with the rear ramped, and are of the three-dot design,
but do not have tritium inserts. Both front and rear sights are
windage adjustable, and lock with a set screw.

At the front of the frame there is a section of
Picatinny compatible rail for mounting a light or laser sight,
and for testing I mounted a very compact Laserlyte laser
to the rail. Also pictured here is a Laserlyte L-Rail that
allows the use of both a laser sight and a light at the same
time, for those who desire to do so. Both the laser sight and
L-Rail seem to be very well made, and the laser was easy to see
and held its setting throughout the testing of a large quantity
of high performance .45 ACP ammunition, most of it Plus P rated.
The laser activates by a push button switch, and uses four small
batteries, which are supplied, along with four spares. The laser
sight is attached to the Picatinny or Weaver style rail with two
Allen head screws, and is adjusted with the supplied Allen
wrench.

I fired the OSS for accuracy and reliability
testing with a variety of high performance ammunition, and also
with my standard semi-wadcutter handload. Every brand and type
of factory ammunition that I tried functioned flawlessly in the
OSS. Chronograph testing was done at a distance of twelve feet
over the sensors of a Chrony Master Beta model
chronograph. Air temperature was in the seventy-five degree
range, at an elevation of approximately 400 feet above sea
level. Velocities are listed in the chart below in
feet-per-second (fps). Bullet weights are listed in grains. JHP
is jacketed hollowpoint. EPR is a specialty high performance
type bullet loaded by Extreme
Shock. SWC is a handloaded lead semi-wadcutter bullet.
DPX is the Barnes all-copper hollowpoint bullet loaded by Cor-Bon. PB is a specialty hollowpoint bullet with a
nylon ball nose loaded by Cor-Bon, called PowRBall.

Ammunition

Bullet Weight

Velocity

Buffalo Bore JHP

185

1127

Buffalo Bore JHP

200

1029

Extreme Shock EPR

185

1120

Cor-Bon JHP

165

1286

Cor-Bon PB

165

1177

Cor-Bon JHP

185

1080

Cor-Bon DPX

185

1001

Cor-Bon JHP

200

1063

Cor-Bon JHP

230

940.4

Handload SWC

200

848.8

The OSS proved to have match-grade accuracy with
semi-wadcutter ammunition, and also with several of the
hollowpoint and other combat type ammo. When brand new, the OSS
balked a bit on the target handloads, but after shooting it for
a little while, it fed, fired, and ejected them flawlessly, just
as it did all of the ammo tested.

The big Taurus feels good in the hand. The
design and texture of the grip are very comfortable in my hand,
and recoil was not bothersome with any ammunition fired in the
OSS. The reach to the trigger measures 2.82 inches, and the
wide, smooth trigger is easy to operate, with the trigger pull
measuring eight pounds, fifteen ounces in double action mode,
and six pounds, fourteen ounces single action.

I like the OSS. The parts are substantial, and
hopefully Taurus has worked out the few bugs that were present
in the earlier 24/7 pistols of a few years ago. This one has
functioned very reliably so far, and I plan to put a lot more
ammo through this pistol. Taurus was slow getting the OSS into
production, and I think that the extra time delay allowed them
to get it right. For a full-sized .45 fighting pistol, I think
that Taurus has a winner with the OSS. I would like to see
tritium night sights offered as an option, but other than that,
I wouldnít change a thing. It is not a pocket pistol by any
means, but is accurate, reliable, and easy to shoot. These
pistols are in full production, and are available on dealerís
shelves as this is written. I saw two of them just this past
week at Tennessee Gun Country in Clarksville, Tennessee.
By the way, Tennessee Gun Country keeps a well-stocked store,
and they have good prices. I am not sure if they will ship
firearms or not, but if you need a gun that is new on the
market, they are the first that I know of to have the latest
firearms in stock. If you are looking for something, give them a
call at 931-552-2118.